Binder case construction for books



Dec. 4, 1945. F. s. SCHADE 2,390,125

' BINDER CASE CONSTRUCTION FOR BOOKS Fild Sept. 13, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR EM /V/f5771/VK2HAO BY g m/ ATTOR EYS Dec. 4, 1945. s, sc 2,390,125

BINDER CASE CONSTRUCTION FOR BOOKS Filed Sept. 15, 1944- I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fkA/VKSWVVLLYSCHADI BY mz.

ATTORNEYS Patented cc. 4, 1945 v BINDER, CASE CONSTRUCTION FOR BOOKS Frank Stanley Schade, Holyoke, Mass., assignor to National Blank Book Company, Holyoke, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 13, 1944, Serial No. 553,812

11 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of a book binder case with cover, back, and hinged portions. The present application is a continuation in part of my copending application Serial No. 529,755, filed April.6, 1944. Its purpose is to make an economical book binder case (particularly th cover sections thereof) of useful character by employing plastic sheets in a particular way to give special advantages. The idea of the invention will be evident when described and pointed out as a combination. It is disclosed in the drawings and following description.

Fig. 1 indicates a transparent plastic sheet;

Fig. 2 indicates a back panel and two covers made of opaque plastic sheet;

Fig. 3 indicates the sheets of Fig. 2 fastened in place on the sheet of Fig. 1 making an integral binder case of composite plastic material;

Fig, 4 is a View like Fig. 3 except that the sheets of Fig. 2 ar fastened in place between two sheets like the sheet of Fig. 1 making an integral binder case of composite plastic material in the form now preferred, of the two modifications shown;

Fig. 5 indicates a finished ring binder book using the structure of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective of the book of Fig. 5 in closed condition; and

Fig. 7 is a view like Fig. 6 except that it shows a modification in the back portion construction and uses the binding case structure of Fig. 4.

To construct one embodiment of my invention, the plastic single sheet In of Fig. 1 is provided of a size large enough to include cover portions, hinge portions, back panel portion, and a margin portion, or strip around the perimeter. I will explain this margin portion later on. The sheet should be of the thermoplastic kind which will weld to a similar sheet of the thermoplastic kind. The sheet should have the character of a limp sheet. That is, it will not support its flat form and in this respect is like a limp sheet of leather. A plasticized vinyl resin such as a polyvinyl chloride acetate is one suitable example, and may' cover and back panel areas than over the hinge With the binder case made as described, the

ring mechanism It is attached to the inside of the back panel to provide a ring binder such as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. If desired, the larger sheet may be slotted between the panels and metal hinges applied as described in my copending application Serial No. 529,456, filed April 4, 1944.

Th way of making the binder case as above described may be changed in one or two respects if desired. For example, in making the panels I I, I2, and I3 they may be made substantially as shown except for small strips left to connect them for handling as one piece. After being assembled as in Fig. 3 such'strips may be cut off. But they can be left in without doing any harm if they are made small enough. The material of these panels, in the broadest aspect of the invention, need not be of thermoplastic material. When the sheet I0 is made of such material it will bond with sheets ll, 12 and I3 made for example of paper-like material of stiff but flexible binder case board. The bond in such case will be accomplished by the thermoplastic character of sheet l0 alone. Under heat and pressure it will adhere to the other sheets. I prefer the latter sheets in the form first described particularly as they will give a, fine appearance, in the binder case of Fig. 3, where they are covered only on one side by sheet In.

The difference between the binder cas structure of Figs. 3 and 4 is this. In that of Fig. 4, the parts of Fig. 2 arelaid between two limp sheets l0. These sheets may be made thinner so that the weight of the case is not necessarily increasedover that of Fig. 3. The two sheets are bonded together under heat and pressure with parts ll, 12 and I3 so they all become integral as will be clear froni what has been said above. The result is the absence of even the small abrupt step seen between the sheets of Fig. 3. Of course the integral sheet will be somewhat thicker where it has been formed of three laminations, that is over the areas including sheets ll, l2 and I3,

than th thickness of the very narrow builer margin and the hinge portions. But this difference in thickness is not apparent to the eye, there is nothing to suggest it, as the visible step suggests it in the form of Fig. 3. The use of the fully developed structure of Fig. 4 is preferred. It gives a surprisingly improved appearance of the case over the structure of Fig. 3, as I have discovered by making the binder case both ways and comparing them.

In this binder case of Fig. 4, the sheets ii, If,

and I3, as in the case of Fig. 3, may if desired be made of other materialthan the thermoplastic kind. Since these sheets are covered on both sides by the material of sheet Ill, both sides of the case will expose thermoplastic material of fine appearance. This will hold with sheets II, II, and I3 not only by adhesion but also by reason of the integral peripheral margin which traps the spaces of the panel sheets. In Fig. 7 I have indicated a curved back panel ii in the finished book. The binding case of this book has the construction of Fig. 4. By riveting its back panel portion as indicated between two curved metal plates l6 and ll of aluminum, for example, and by the same means joining the metal structure of a ring binder mechanism to the inner curved plate, the finished book indicated is made. The metal back plate I6 may bear identification and decorative matter. It is particularly well adapted to be made up separately as a long, relatively narrow, curved name plate of fine appearance. Whenriveted to the back panel it gives its curved form to such panel. The use of the rigid back panel structure, whether of curved or flat form, that is plates l6 and i1, makes it unnecessary to use the panel i2 of Fig. 2 and it maybe omitted if desired. However, the use of panel if even in this construction of Fi '7 will not interfere.

While I have given useful examples in the make-up of a book from the new binder case, it will be readily appreciated that this type of binding case may be used in many other ways either for loose leaf or permanent book binding purposes.

A main feature of advantage in the finished binder case of the preferred form is in the character and arrangement of the integral sheet of composite plastic materials. In respect to its integral nature it is like a binder case made of one sheet of leather for all portions but with these differences. A leather sheet if stiif enough for comparable cover and back portions would need to have thinned out or scored hinge portions, depending on the thinness only rather than a change of material between cover and hinge portions for improved hinging action. That is to say, in my structure the material of the larger sheet is primarily chosen for the hinging function irrespective of the material of the cover panels yet they are all integral in the end. Of importance also is that fact that the larger or overall sheet provides a narrow peripheral margin 20 around the whole periphery of the binder case. The function performed by this margin of this sheet, especially when transparent, is twofold. It functions as a readily yielding and resilient wear strip to protect the binder case and being transparent it permits the cover panels and back panel to appear in conventional size with relation to book pages. That is to say, the opaque panels do not give an oversize appearance between book pages and binder case while the edges of such panels are provided with what might be considered as a bumper margin all around to maintain a good appearance for a long binder life under hard usage. From what has been said in the descriptions of making up various forms of the binder case the advantages of their detail will be clear.

Another advantage is found in the following plan, which is available when wanted for use. By having the transparent sheet on the outside and the opaque panels on the inside any book titles or decorative designs may be printed on additionaL thin and smaller sheets IS. These may then be inserted as desired between the transparent and opaque sheets during assembly so that the printed material will show through from the outside. Such smaller sheets of printed material should not be made of large enough area to substantially effect the integral character of the transparent and opaque sheets when they are bonded thermoplastically and indeed can be made of thermoplastic material if desired to bond directly. Such printed sheets, if not of bonding material, will be effectively and permanently trapped in cells of corresponding area between the plastic sheets.

The structure of the above disclosure lends itself to a desirable variety of binder case design, in economical fashion.

Having disclosed the invention, I claim:

1. A binder case comprising an overall sheet of limp transparent thermoplastic material, cover and back panels in three separated sheets of selfsustaining flat opaque thermoplastic material made integral with said transparent sheet all as one plastic body, said transparent sheet providing a narrowbumper margin around the periphery of the area within which the opaque panels are enclosed.

2. A binder case comprising a sheet of unfolded limp thermoplastic material, and two cover panels and a back panel which three panels are of less area and are adherently secured to said sheet in two cover and-back panel positions to leave an exposed margin of the limp material, said panels being all of a thermoplastic material of sumcient rigidity to preserve the composite sheet in substantially fiat form in the panel areas of the two covers and back panel portions and so as to provide narrow hinge strips and a boundary strip of the limp material.

3. A binder case comprising a sheet of transparent, unfolded limp thermoplastic material, and cover panels of relatively opaque, relatively stiff and self sustaining thermoplastic material of less area than the limp material adherently secured thereto with such cover panels spaced apart for a back panel area and with a narrow margin of the limp material extending all around the binder case and with a back panel band of such limp material positioned between adjacent cover panels for the attachment of loose leaf binder mechanism on such back panel band.

4. A binder case comprising two sheets of unfolded limp thermoplastic material and two cover panels and a back panel of different material of less area than either limp sheet and thermoplastically secured between the two sheets to leave an exposed margin all around the case and two hinge bands of the limp material, said panel material having sumcient rigidity to be self sustaining, as distinguished from limp, and to preserve the composite sheet in substantially fiat form in the panel area.

5. A binder case including two sheets of limp material and laminated between them, relatively rated enough to provide narrow hinge portionsof the limp material for the hinge action, all such limp and relatively stiff material being bound together as one composite sheet by thermoplastic material used for joining them.

6. A binder case comprising two overall sheets of limp thermoplastic material, cover and back panels in three separate spaced sheets of selfsustaining flat thermoplastic material lying between said two sheets and all sheets being made integral with said limp sheets providing a narrow bumper margin around the periphery of the binder case.

7. A binder case comprising an overall sheet of limp thermoplastic material, two cover panels of self-sustaining flat thermoplastic material integrally bonded in cover position to said overall sheet so as to leave a narrow bumper margin of the limp material around the two cover panels, a rigid back panel structure fastened in back panel position to said limp material and spaced from adjacent cover panels to leave hinge portions of the limp material, all for the purpose described. I

8. A binder case comprising an overall sheet of limp thermoplastic material and two cover panels of self-sustaining fiat thermoplastic material integrally bonded inside said limp sheet and two rigid transversely curved back panel portions fastened together with the back panel portion of said limp material bound between them, all for the purpose described.

9. A binder case comprising an overall sheet of limp thermoplastic material, cover and back panels in three portions of self-sustaining flat material thermoplastically bound to said limp sheet and inside its edge, providing a narrow bumper margin around the periphery of the area within which the said panels are enclosed, said panels being sufliciently separated between cover and back panel portions for said limp sheet material lying between such adjacent panels to give its character for the hinge portions of the case.

10. A binder case comprising two overall sheets of limp thermoplastic material, cover panels of self-sustaining flat material thermoplastically bound between said limp sheets and inside their periphery, providing a narrow bumper margin around the periphery of the area within whichthe said panels are enclosed, said panels being sufilciently separated to provide back panel and hinge portions in the area of the limp sheets, means bound to the back panel portion to stiilen it but not the hinge portions of the limp material, said overall sheets being directly bound in integral thermoplastic form'over the hinge portion areas and over the area of said bumper margin.

11. A stitchless binder case made up of laminated and thermoplastlcally bound sheet material, there being at least two outside sheets of limp material providing for the function of hinge portions and for a very narrow peripheral margin of such limp material only, two spaced areas of relative stifl material between the outside sheets, providing for stifiened cover portion areas, the area of the limp sheets between adjacent spaced edges of the stifiened cover area providing not only for the hinge portions but also for taking any suitable back panel portion stifiening means as the metal of loose leaf binder mechanisms or other means which may be associated with such a binder case.

FRANK STANLEY SCHADE. 

